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This is a user subpageW of notes about video files. Most are documentaries or lectures relating to climate change, renewable energy, or other environmental or related scientific scientific concepts or technologies.

Introduction[edit | edit source]

00:32, 4 November 2012 (PDT): This is a working page of notes that eventually I may copy or refactor to a list article in article space.

Motivation[edit | edit source]

The vast bulk of commercial broadcast television programming is mostly useless for promoting the kinds of pro-social and pro-environmental skills and behaviors that are central to sustainability and appropriate technology. However, television (and more generally, video) as a medium remains exceedingly useful for this.

  • Imparting skills. Video can be an excellent medium for showing people how to grow food, compost their yard waste, eliminate energy waste, and otherwise reduce their carbon and environmental footprints. Particularly for manual skills, sometimes a visual demonstration conveys things that are hard to get across only with text and still photographs or diagrams. Videos may engage and inspire the viewer in ways that text alone may not.
  • Promoting environmental awareness. Environmental problems often have a large behavioral component, such that solving the problem may require changing behavior on a large scale. This is true for example of man-made climate change, for which there is no comprehensive technological solution that can be brought to scale quickly. While some low-carbon technologies are reasonably mature and ready for large-scale deployment, other large sources of greenhouse gas emissions (including transport and meat production) cannot be reduced quickly while consumption persists at the current levels. The fastest and cheapest potential way to reduce emissions is often to persuade consumers to consume less of the things that produce emissions. Unfortunately persuasion is difficult, but few technologies of persuasion are more effective than television, which is why advertisers exploit it with a skill that the green movement would do well to emulate.
  • Persuading the unpersuaded. Many if not most people tend to exhibit what Robert Gifford calls "environmental numbness".[1] They may not be actively opposed to pro-environmental behaviors and policies, but they are generally indifferent to them. An individual who is concerned about the environment should strive to reduce his or her harmful impact, for example by minimizing consumption of goods and services that burn fossil fuels, but to be maximally effective at protecting the environment the individual must go on to persuade other people to minimize their harmful impact as well. Thus anyone with an interest in protecting the environment needs to be in the persuasion business - we must persuade people who don't think much about their impact on the environment to start thinking about it, and minimizing it, both through individual behavior change and by demanding and supporting collective solutions by governments. While it may be difficult for every individual to become articulate and persuasive directly, anyone can direct others to documentary films that record the most persuasive people the environmental movement has produced.

There are a surprising number of documentary films and programs on environmental issues, but they are buried in a vastly greater avalanche of mainstream television programming, much of which promotes environmentally destructive behaviors and is thus part of the problem. To use television effectively, environmentalists need the following tools:

  • Video on demand - we cannot rely on broadcasters, particularly the major networks, to schedule ("push") uplifting content for us. Instead we have to pro-actively seek out and "pull" the content we want.
  • Social recommendation - we must find suitable video content available for viewing online, which we can then propagate by linking to it on social Web sites.
  • Public exhibitions - it can be useful to show environmental documentaries at social gatherings and then discuss them.

Organization[edit | edit source]

This page lists videos by creator and topic. It is useful to group videos by the same creator together, because accessing a video is often a function of who created it. Some creators post many or all of the videos on their own Web sites. Others do less to facilitate on-demand viewing, instead expecting viewers to watch everything they put on their channels, or to view their films in a theater.

For each video I give links to such information as I can find about it, including (if available):

  • The creator's official page about the film or program
  • A link to the video viewable online at the creator's site, if available
  • A link to the video on a commercial video service such as wikipedia:Netflix
  • A link to the program's IMDB page
  • A link to the program's Wikipedia article, if any
  • (Someday) a link to the program's Appropedia article

A note about copyright[edit | edit source]

Unfortunately nearly all the better films and videos about the environment are under copyright, as is typical with most professionally-made video content. While the need for content creators to get paid is understandable, any approach that achieves less than the widest possible viewing audience would seem highly counterproductive to the environmental cause. Climate change threatens the very survival of civilization, if not the human species, and someone is trying to prevent their warning from reaching the maximum number of people? That doesn't make sense to me. It would be useful for a philanthropist to buy rights to all these films, perhaps after they finish their theater or broadcast runs, and make them freely available to everyone.

Content creators who do put some or all of their videos online for free viewing, such as PBS, should be rewarded. Consider donating to them.

Save the planet: watch TV![edit | edit source]

TV watching doesn't get a lot of respect, and deservedly so. But watching videos about environmental issues can be surprisingly informative. It does not replace the written word for detailed technical content, but watching video is a useful way to augment and reinforce knowledge from reading. Watching video is also easier than reading dense technical prose, so it is a handy way to unwind at the end of the day without completely throwing one's time and mind away on vapid entertainment.

The many videos available on climate change, for example, provide a comprehensive (if necessarily somewhat shallow) overview of the major issues: the causes of climate change, potential solutions, and barriers to individual and collective action. A person who watches all the climate change videos (soon to be) on this page will certainly know more about the subject than the average person.

But to repeat from a previous section: if you're motivated enough to read this page, you're probably already at least persuaded climate change is a serious problem, and you're probably well ahead of the average person in terms of making some sort of response to it. Thus a big part of the value this page can add for you is to provide resources you can use to generate interest and action from the people around you. Unless you live in some sort of an eco-village where everybody is already living as cleanly as Joan Pick,[2] you're possibly surrounded by people who are taking less action on climate change than you are. What you need is a way to show them why they should act. The videos on this page might help you make your strongest case.

The future of this page[edit | edit source]

20:53, 5 November 2012 (PST): initially I'm editing this as a user subpage. By convention on most wikis including Appropedia, user pages and user subpages are only edited by the user whose username they are under. The user does not "own" the page, since it is on a wiki, and wikis are inherently collaborative, but it is customary for users to refrain from editing pages in another user's space.

If you see a typo or a broken link, feel free to fix it. For any large-scale additions or rearrangements, please suggest them first on my user talk page, and if detailed discussion is necessary we can continue it on User talk:Teratornis/List of environmental videos.

If demand warrants, we can move this page to article space as a list article. That would facilitate collaboration - i.e., the editing community could update it as they find more environmental videos.

It might also be nice to make separate articles about each notable film or program series mentioned on this page (many of them already have articles on Wikipedia). That would allow this page to be more compact, as the page would only need to list one link per film or program, with perhaps a one-line description (which is more in keeping with the style for list articles on Wikipedia). Ultimately Appropedia should have a comprehensive directory (lists plus individual articles) of documentary and instructional films, television programs, and videos (professional and amateur) relating to Appropedia's remit (sustainability and appropriate technology).

Public Broadcasting Service[edit | edit source]

PBS puts many videos online, as clips, previews, and full episodes.

How to search for videos on PBS[edit | edit source]

There are several ways to search:

To-do: find the good ones.

PBS Nova[edit | edit source]

The wikipedia:Equinox (TV series) article says: "Nova (TV series) ... often bought in and re-voiced Equinox and Horizon films."

What's up with the Weather? - 2000[edit | edit source]

Shackleton's Voyage of Endurance - 2002[edit | edit source]

While this video is not specifically about climate change, much of climate change research occurs at the poles, where the climate is responding the fastest to man-made forcing. The early polar explorers opened the regions to the scientific research going on there today. Shackleton's story is also a uniquely inspiring example of never giving up in the face of great difficulty. Solving climate change will require at least that much determination.

03:14, 29 October 2012 (UTC): This episode does not seem to be available on Netflix, YouTube, or anywhere else I looked online.

World in the Balance - 2004[edit | edit source]

  • IMDB page - Season 31, Episode 16 - World in the Balance: The People Paradox (20 Apr. 2004) - 54 min
  • IMDB page - Season 31, Episode 17 - World in the Balance: China Revs Up (15 Apr. 2004) - 54 min
  • Original PBS Broadcast Date: April 20, 2004 - I don't see a copy of the video on PBS.org.
  • NOVA site page - it's about the population explosion mostly, and environmental threats.
  • Netflix page - not viewable online.
    • I don't see a copy on YouTube.

Storm that Drowned a City - 2005[edit | edit source]

Dimming the Sun - 2006[edit | edit source]

Saved by the Sun - 2007[edit | edit source]

  • Saved by the Sun; Season 34: 2006–2007
    • Saved by the Sun - Duration: - Premiere Date: 04/24/2007
      • As the Earth heats up at a dangerous rate and fossil fuels become scarcer, ordinary citizens and businesses are bypassing the federal government to lead the way in exploring a clean, renewable source of power: the sun.
    • PBS Nova - Saved By The Sun.avi

The Big Energy Gamble - 2009[edit | edit source]

Making Stuff - 2011[edit | edit source]

  • IMDB page - Season 38, Episode 9 - Making Stuff: Stronger (11 Jan. 2011) - 54 min
    • Full episode on PBS - Duration: (53:07) - Premiere Date: 01/18/2011
      • David Pogue tests his mettle against the world's strongest stuff, from steel and Kevlar to bioengineered silk.
  • IMDB page - Season 38, Episode 10 - Making Stuff: Smaller (26 Jan. 2011) - 54 min
    • Full episode on PBS - Duration: (53:07) - Premiere Date: 01/25/2011
      • See the future of tiny stuff --from from silicon chips to micro-robots that probe the body.
  • IMDB page - Season 38, Episode 11 - Making Stuff: Cleaner (2 Feb. 2011) - 54 min
    • Full episode on PBS - Duration: (53:07) - Premiere Date: 02/01/2011
      • Can innovative materials help solve the energy crisis and lead to a sustainable future?
  • IMDB page - Season 38, Episode 12 - Making Stuff: Smarter (12 Feb. 2011) - 54 min
    • Full episode on PBS - Duration: (53:08) - Premiere Date: 02/08/2011
      • Explore a new generation of ingenious materials, including real-life invisibility cloaks.

Power Surge - 2011[edit | edit source]

Extreme Ice - 2011[edit | edit source]

Secrets Beneath the Ice - 2011[edit | edit source]

  • IMDB page - Season 38, Episode 7 - Secrets Beneath the Ice (28 Dec. 2010) - 53 min
  • Secrets Beneath the Ice - Is Antarctica headed for a catastrophic meltdown? New evidence of ancient climate change may hold clues. Aired December 28, 2011 on PBS
  • Full episode on PBS.org - Premiere Date: 12/28/2010

Inside the Megastorm - 2012[edit | edit source]

An episode about wikipedia:Hurricane Sandy airing November 18, 2012 at 7 pm and November 21 at 9 pm on PBS.[3][4][5]

PBS Nova ScienceNOW[edit | edit source]

Victory Garden[edit | edit source]

Nature[edit | edit source]

The Prize[edit | edit source]

Adapted from wikipedia:The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money, and Power by wikipedia:Daniel Yergin

Frontline (U.S. TV series)[edit | edit source]

PBS has some episodes online for free viewing. These relate to energy and climate change.

Frontline 2008 episodes[edit | edit source]

Frontline 2012 episodes[edit | edit source]

Inside Japan's Nuclear Meltdown[edit | edit source]
  • Inside Japan's Nuclear Meltdown - Duration: (54:40) Premiere Date: 02/28/2012 (another PBS page for this episode with different layout and links)
    • In the desperate hours and days after the Fukushima nuclear disaster, the fate of thousands of Japanese citizens fell into the hands of a small corps of engineers, firemen and soldiers who risked their lives to prevent the Daiichi nuclear complex from complete meltdown. This is their story, with rare footage from inside the plant and eyewitness testimony from the people on the frontlines.
Climate of Doubt[edit | edit source]
  • Climate of Doubt - Duration: (53:47) Premiere Date: 10/23/2012
    • Four years ago, climate change was a hot issue and politicians from both sides seemed poised to act. Today public opinion on the climate issue has cooled considerably. Politicians either ignore it or proclaim their skepticism. What’s behind this massive reversal? FRONTLINE goes inside the organizations that fought the scientific establishment to shift the direction of the climate debate.
    • PBS descriptive page about the episode
      • How Al Gore Galvanized the Climate Change Movement — On Both Sides - has a clip from the documentary that shows how Al Gore's disproportionately large carbon footprint energizes the tu quoque fallacies of climate science deniers. This argument, although fallacious, resonates with the average person who hasn't internalized the elaborate rationalizations of hypermobile environmentalists. After all, if Al Gore believes what he says, why doesn't he behave accordingly? Man-made climate change is caused by greenhouse gas emissions, and everybody knows jet aircraft and limousines are fueled by petroleum, a fossil fuel. Most people do not know the exact carbon footprint of Al Gore's travel schedule, but they can probably guess that flying on private jets and driving in personal limousines probably burns a lot more fossil fuel than most ordinary individuals do. Surely, if man-made climate change is to be controlled, that sort of profligate greenhouse gas spewing will have to be eliminated. In fact, hypermobile individuals have among the highest personal carbon footprints on the planet, so their behavior is among the most inconsistent with an equitable solution to climate change.
      • Granted, even if Al Gore was as behaviorally consistent as Joan Pick,[2] deniers would probably attack him as a lentil-munching[6] hairshirt-wearing hippie who wants to take the world back to the Stone Age, but I believe that argument would get less traction because people tend to admire individuals whose behavior is true to their values, and who lead by example. Consider the veneration for Mother Teresa, due to her conspicuous vow of poverty and her service to the poor. Christopher Hitchens still found reasons to complain about her, but he hardly turned her into the punching bag that Al Gore has become with the deniers. I believe it is harder to attack people who aren't as obviously hypocritical, especially when they are clearly behaving in ways that help others. A person who lives low carbon (in contrast to the hypermobile Mother Teresa, by the way, who jetted often around the world in her later years to collect awards from various world leaders) is clearly competing less with others for finite resources, and spewing less conventional pollution into the air. Most people are probably smart enough to grasp that in some sense, a person who lives in a low impact way is having a low impact on them. This makes a behaviorally consistent climate advocate a harder target for personal attacks, although not invulnerable, because climate change deniers are as unethical as could be expected for people who promote the destruction of Earth's Holocene climate stability.
      • Given that climate change deniers get so wound up when they see hypocritical environmentalists, I think we should take that argument away from them by not being hypocrites. That is, everyone who claims to care about the environment should above all try to destroy as little of it as possible.

Earth: The Operators' Manual[edit | edit source]

A three-episode series about climate change science and mitigation.

Planet Forward: Fossil Fuels & Beyond[edit | edit source]

  • Fossil Fuels & Beyond - Duration: (55:23) - Premiere Date: 04/15/2009
    • It's web to television and back online again for Planet Forward's ongoing conversation between citizens, experts and policymakers on the formula for our energy future. Instead of experts expounding to voiceless viewers, Planet Forward's emphasis is bottom-up, with the best online submissions from citizens - videos, essays, poems, and more - leading and driving the conversation.

Now on PBS[edit | edit source]

NOW was a Public Broadcasting Service newsmagazine that focused on social and political issues.

  • Sea Change, January 9, 2009.
    • A rise in sea levels isn't the only impact global warming is having on the world's oceans. A growing body of evidence suggests that climate change is also affecting ocean currents and the chemistry of the seas, with potentially catastrophic results.
    • The Ocean Tipping Point episode (see below) seems to supersede this episode.
  • Water World, Duration: (25:35), Premiere Date: 10/23/2009
    • Is climate change turning coastal countries into water worlds? NOW travels to Bangladesh to examine some innovative solutions being implemented in a country where entire communities are inundated by water, battered by cyclones, and flooded from their homes.
  • Climate Crisis, Duration: (21:38), Premiere Date: 11/27/2009
    • The Maldives, a nation of roughly 1200 low-lying islands in the Indian Ocean, could be underwater by the end of this century if climate change causes ocean levels to rise. On the eve of the big climate summit in Copenhagen, the country's president, Mohamed Nasheed, is warning of a massive exodus from the Maldives if drastic global action is not taken.
  • Electric Car Dreams, Duration: (23:50), Premiere Date: 10/30/2009
    • NOW investigates how the Danish government and Better Place are working together to put electric cars into the hands of as many Danish families as possible. The idea is still having trouble getting out of the garage here in America, but Denmark could be an inspiration.
  • Power Struggle, Duration: (22:58), Premiere Date: 08/07/2009
    • NOW travels to California, which has the most ambitious clean energy plan in the nation. But the state's efforts face stiff opposition from property owners and conservationists who prefer renewable energy from "local sources," such as photovoltaic rooftop solar panels.
  • Ocean Tipping Point?, Duration: (13:40), Premiere Date: 07/03/2009
    • NOW looks at a growing body of evidence that suggests climate change is affecting the chemistry of the seas, which could have potentially catastrophic results on the way we live. NOW travels deep into our oceans with a scientist from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and help from other researchers for a first hand look at this stunning sea change, and what we can do about it.
  • Food, Inc., Duration: (24:10), Premiere Date: 06/05/2009
    • Americans have a longstanding love affair with food -- the modern supermarket has, on average, 47,000 products. But do we really know what goes into making the products we consume? David Brancaccio talks with filmmaker Robert Kenner, the director of Food, Inc., which takes a hard look at the secretive and surprising journey food takes on the way from processing plants to our dinner tables.
  • Green Jobs: Hope or Hype?, Duration: (24:10), Premiere Date: 05/22/2009
    • NOW on PBS talks with environmental activist Van Jones, founder of "Green For All," a group dedicated to bringing green jobs to disadvantaged Americans. In March, Jones was appointed Special Advisor on Green Jobs at the President's Council for Environmental Quality. Now that he has the President's ear, will Jones be creating a new career frontier for America?
  • On Thin Ice, Duration: (56:46), Premiere Date: 04/17/2009
    • In a special one-hour NOW on PBS, David Brancaccio and environmentalist Conrad Anker -- one of the world's leading high altitude climbers -- adventure to the Gangotri Glacier in the Himalayan Mountains, the source of the Ganges River, to witness the effects of global warming first-hand.
  • Race, Class, and Katrina, Duration: (22:47), Premiere Date: 09/05/2005
    • In the aftermath of Katrina, NOW on PBS Senior Correspondent Maria Hinojosa reported from the devastated Mississippi coast, where tens of thousands were without essential services like power and water.

Need to Know[edit | edit source]

Need to Know is an American public television news program produced by WNET, New York City and broadcast weekly on all Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) stations in the United States. Many or most episodes cover several topics. PBS breaks out some (all?) of the individual segments, but you may have to search the video.pbs.org site for the segment you want.

  • wikipedia:Need to Know (PBS)
  • Need to Know topics list: Environment, and Climate Desk
  • David vs. Goliaths, Duration: (25:02), Premiere Date: 08/10/2012
    • Need to Know reports from the Pacific Island nation of Palau about its effort to hold the world’s leading industrial powers legally responsible for the environmental damage their greenhouse gas emissions are causing.
  • Interview: Matthew Pawa, Premiere Date: 08/12/2012
  • Bringing climate change to court - page with more text description
    • Maria Hinojosa talks with environmental lawyer Matthew Pawa, who has become a pioneer in bringing lawsuits based on damage allegedly caused by greenhouse gas emissions.
  • Rising tide, Duration: (13:02), Premiere Date: 04/27/2012
    • This week on Need to Know: how the city of Norfolk, Virginia is grappling with massive flooding caused by sea-level rise.
  • Green jobs, volunteerism, Duration: (25:08), Premiere Date: 05/25/2012
    • Need to Know correspondent Mona Iskander updates her report from Greenville, Mich., about a town that tried to reinvent itself by bringing in a solar panel manufacturing company.
  • Nuclear energy in the US, Duration: (25:11), Premiere Date: 10/21/2011
    • Is nuclear power a safe, cost-effective alternative to our current energy sources, or do the risks outweigh the benefits? Maria Hinojosa hosts.
  • Regulation and the EPA, Duration: (24:59), Premiere Date: 09/30/2011
    • Need to Know visits a small town in upstate New York that has been plagued by chemical pollution and disease, and FreedomWorks' Matt Kibbe discusses the EPA. Ray Suarez hosts.
  • Green jobs in Michigan, garage sales, Duration: (24:54), Premiere Date: 09/23/2011
    • Need to Know visits a town in Michigan for a first-hand look at the challenges faced in creating a new economy for "green jobs." Also: The changing nature of the American garage sale. Maria Hinojosa hosts.
  • Extreme weather and climate change, Duration: (4:27), Premiere Date: 08/26/2011
    • As the first major hurricane of the season threatens the Eastern Seaboard, Need To Know investigates the links between extreme weather and climate change.
  • Seeds of progress, Duration: (10:16), Premiere Date: 08/19/2011
    • Detroits urban farming movement is thriving, supplying fresh produce, jobs and revived communities. Large scale industrial farms are now knocking at Detroits door with their own plans. Desiree Cooper examines this new food-based economy and the issues holding it back.
  • California nuclear safety, over-population., Duration: (53:56), Premiere Date: 07/15/2011
    • Are California's nuclear plants disaster ready? A look at the over-population fears of the 1960s and 1970s. Gloria Steinem on the women's movement's gains.
  • Tornadoes, Duration: (53:43), Premiere Date: 05/27/2011
    • We explore whether climate change has played a role in this deadly season of tornadoes.
  • Climate change, cyber-security, Arab Spring, Duration: (53:42), Premiere Date: 05/20/2011, climate change segment begins at 20:12
    • The threats climate change poses to human health.
  • Climate change, pirates, corruption, Duration: (53:38), Premiere Date: 02/25/2011 (climate change segment starts at 16:10 (the Rising Tide episode that aired later on 04/27/2012 may supersede it)
    • We go to Norfolk, Virginia, where climate change is causing flooding.
  • Nuclear waste and the problem of obesity, Duration: (53:13), Premiere Date: 09/24/2010 (nuclear waste segment starts at 40:57)
  • Disappearing Delta, Duration: (7:47), Premiere Date: 09/02/2010
    • Need To Know examines the history of Louisiana's disappearing coastline.
  • The anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, Duration: (17:12), Premiere Date: 08/27/2010
    • Harry Shearer, the writer comic Simpsons voice actor/radio host and longtime resident of New Orleans, wants to puncture the myths and misperceptions about Hurricane Katrina on its five-year anniversary.
  • The David and Goliath story of Crude, Duration: (7:32), Premiere Date: 07/14/2010
    • Over the course of three years director Joe Berlinger followed one of the largest and most controversial class-action environmental lawsuits in the world, which pits 30,000 rainforest dwellers from the Amazon jungle in Ecuador against the oil giant Chevron.Then Berlinger was dragged into his own battle with Chevron when they subpoenaed him to turn over 600 hours of his unused outtakes.

Journey to Planet Earth[edit | edit source]

2003 episodes[edit | edit source]

The wikipedia:Brisbane Times site appears to have some episodes online, but none of them play for me; for example:

  • On the Brink
    • On The Brink focuses on case studies that link armed conflict and political crises with environmental issues such as the loss of grasslands, spreading disease, deforestation, soil erosion, water scarcities, surging populations and global climate change. The program features the work of scientists, community organizers and political leaders, as they grapple with the fact that the world's political security may be bound up with the quality of the land, air and water.

2009 episodes[edit | edit source]

I cannot find the full video online, but here are some excerpts:

2011 episodes[edit | edit source]

  • Episode: Plan B: Mobilizing to Save Civilization - Duration: (1:24:10), Premiere Date: 03/30/2011
    • "Plan B" provides a glimpse into a new and emerging economy based upon renewable resources as well as strategies to avoid the growing threat of climate change. As prices rise, oil insecurity deepens, and concerns about carbon emissions cast a shadow over the future of fossil fuels, wind, solar, and geothermal energy are replacing fossil fuels at a pace and on a scale previously unimagined.

PBS NewsHour[edit | edit source]

Coping with Climate Change[edit | edit source]

2010 episodes[edit | edit source]

2011 episodes[edit | edit source]

  • Heat Wave Has Midwest Agriculture Melting, Food Prices Rising - Duration: (5:56), Premiere Date: 07/28/2011
    • Agriculture has been suffering as farmers across states such as Kansas, Texas, and Oklahoma have seen their crops decimated in a summer filled with drought and heat waves. Hari Sreenivasan talks with Harvest Public Media reporters Frank Morris and Eric Durban about the troubles local farmers are facing with can eventually translate into problems in consumers' wallets.
  • Heat Wave, Drought Create 'Grim' Crop Yields for Farmers in Plains, South - Duration: (6:33), Premiere Date: 08/03/2011
    • New research by the National Drought Mitigation Center shows 12 percent of U.S. land is in the midst of an exceptional drought, which is the largest contiguous area to suffer such difficult conditions in 12 years. Ray Suarez discusses how the drought has punished American farmers with Harvest Public Media's Frank Morris.
  • Sweltering Heat Wave Roasts 24 States, Feeds Wildfires - Duration: (2:46), Premiere Date: 07/12/2011
    • A heat wave blasted half of the U.S. Tuesday and triple-digit temperatures roasted Americans in cities in the Midwest and South. Gwen Ifill reports on the unrelenting hot weather, which broke a series of records and triggered heat warnings and advisories in multiple states.
  • Ariz. Wildfire Spreads as Record-Breaking Heat Wave Grips Eastern U.S. - Duration: (8:27), Premiere Date: 06/09/2011
    • Tanker airplanes on Thursday swooped over the mountains of Eastern Arizona, dropping clouds of retardant in hopes of containing the so-called Wallow wildfire. Also, much of the Eastern U.S. suffered temperatures reaching well into the 90s. Ray Suarez discusses the extreme weather with AccuWeather's Evan Myers.
  • Worst Drought in Texas History Ravages Crops, Livestock - Duration: (7:44), Premiere Date: 08/31/2011
    • Texas is caught in the grip of a devastating heat wave that has created the worst year of drought in the state's history. Gwen Ifill discusses the extreme conditions and their toll on crops, livestock and homes with NPR correspondent Wade Goodwyn.

2012 episodes[edit | edit source]

  • How Cities Should Prepare for Future Natural Disasters - Duration: (11:54) - Premiere Date: 10/31/2012 - Episode Expires: Never
  • Skeptic No Longer Doubts Human Role in Global Warming - Duration: (10:25) - Premiere Date: 09/17/2012
    • Physicist Richard Muller was one of the scientists who denied climate change and humans' role warming the earth. But after spending years researching and analyzing countless studies, Muller concluded climate change scientists were right, that humans had contributed to the rise in the earth's temperature. Spencer Michels reports.
  • Activists Want Smart Meters Gone, Say They're Bad for Health - Duration: (8:50) - Premiere Date: 07/20/2012
    • Within the next five years, it is expected that nearly 65 million homes in the U.S. will have wireless smart meters. But some California environmentalists, liberals, Tea Party supporters and other activists are not enthused by this. At the heart of the debate is whether smart meters can cause illness. Spencer Michels reports.
  • Miles O'Brien Risks Safety While Talking Smart Power - Duration: (6:18) - Premiere Date: 07/13/2012
    • Last week, a powerful "derecho" storm hammered the mid-Atlantic, snuffing out power during the peak of a sweltering heat wave for nearly a week in some homes. Days later, our science correspondent Miles O'Brien traveled to Austin, Tex. to look at a neighborhood that operates on a smart grid. We spoke to him about his report on that project, as he cruised the neighborhood in a borrowed Chevy Volt.
  • In Austin, Charged up About Smart Power - Duration: (8:05) - Premiere Date: 07/13/2012
    • Miles O'Brien examines power grid reliability in a neighborhood near Austin, Texas that uses "smart grid" technology to track - and control - its energy consumption.
  • From Wildfires to Heat Wave, Extreme Weather Batters U.S. - Duration: (10:53), Premiere Date: 07/02/2012
    • The continuing U.S. heat wave has killed at least 22 people, while states try to grapple with storm-driven power outages on the East Coast and wildfires in the West. Tom Bearden reports on the experiences of families in Fort Collins, Colo., who returned to their homes after the wildfires to see what treasures had survived.
  • What's Causing Unusually Hot Temperatures in U.S.? - Duration: (6:00), Premiere Date: 07/02/2012
    • Lack of water, "the great air conditioner", is causing unusually high temperatures and extreme weather events in the United States, Kevin Trenberth with the National Center for Atmospheric Research tells Judy Woodruff.
  • Obama Visits Colorado's Wildfire Sites - Duration: (3:28), Premiere Date: 06/29/2012
    • President Obama traveled to Colorado to assess the damages wreaked by record-breaking wildfires. One person has died in the fires and more than 300 homes were destroyed.

America Revealed[edit | edit source]

A four-part program hosted by wikipedia:Yul Kwon focusing on the infrastructure of the United States. Infrastructure relates to sustainability and the environment in that:

  • What sorts of infrastructure humans choose to build can make human societies more or less sustainable, for example by mitigating or contributing to climate change.
  • Climate change directly threatens much infrastructure.

Food Machine - 2012[edit | edit source]

America's agriculture and food industry.

  • IMDB page - Season 1, Episode 1 - Food Machine (11 Apr. 2012)
  • Full episode on PBS - Duration: (53:12) - Premiere Date: 04/11/2012 - Episode Expires: Never

Nation On The Move - 2012[edit | edit source]

America's transportation infrastructure.

  • IMDB page - Season 1, Episode 2 - Nation on the Move (18 Apr. 2012)
  • Full episode on PBS - Duration: (53:10) - Premiere Date: 04/18/2012 - Episode Expires: Never

Excerpt clips:

  • YouTube: AMERICA REVEALED - Traffic Trouble in LA - PBS - 4:33
  • New York Subway - Duration: (1:45) - Premiere Date: 04/18/2012 - Episode Expires: Never

Electric Nation - 2012[edit | edit source]

America's electric power infrastructure.

  • IMDB page - Season 1, Episode 3 - Electric Nation (25 Apr. 2012)
  • Full episode on PBS - Duration: (53:11) - Premiere Date: 04/25/2012 - Episode Expires: Never

Excerpt clips:

  • Smart Grid Solutions - Duration: (5:39) - Premiere Date: 02/14/2012
    • At Mission Produce’s avocado processing facility, their average electricity bill ran about $50,000 a month. By redesigning their system to account for each and every kilowatt, they can now monitor energy consumption in real time. It’s all part of the smart grid system. Mission’s system manager enthusiastically explains how it works and why their monthly utility bill is only half of what it used to be.

Made in the U.S.A. - 2012[edit | edit source]

Manufacturing in the United States.

  • IMDB page - Season 1, Episode 4 - Made in the U.S.A. (2 May 2012)
  • Full episode on PBS - Duration: (53:10) - Premiere Date: 05/02/2012 - Episode Expires: Never

e2: The Economies of Being Environmentally Conscious[edit | edit source]

e2 is a series of environmental documentary episodes narrated by Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman. It aired on PBS from 2006-2009.

The director is Tad Fettig who has uploaded several episodes on Vimeo. PBS uploaded some episodes to YouTube, and other episodes are viewable on the PBS site.

2006 season 1 e2 episodes[edit | edit source]

PBS appears to have uploaded season 1 YouTube:

2007 e2 season 2 episodes[edit | edit source]

  • Season 2 episode list on IMDB (12 episodes)
  • Season 2, Episode 1 Harvesting the Wind (19 Oct. 2007)
  • Season 2, Episode 2 Energy for a Developing World (26 Oct. 2007)
  • Season 2, Episode 3 Paving the Way (2 Nov. 2007)
  • Season 2, Episode 4 Growing Energy (9 Nov. 2007)
  • Season 2, Episode 5 State of Resolve (16 Nov. 2007)
  • Season 2, Episode 6 Coal & Nuclear: Problem or Solution? (23 Nov. 2007)
    • IMDB page
    • Podcast video on Vimeo
    • Full video on PBS Duration: (25:29) Premiere Date: 11/22/2007
      • Program: e2 Episode: Coal & Nuclear: Problem or Solution?
      • Renewables, biofuels, solar, wind and other energy sources may be alternatives to fossil fuel, but it is impossible to ignore the ubiquity of coal and the power capabilities of nuclear, despite their many drawbacks.
  • Season 2, Episode 7 The Druk White Lotus School: Ladakh (30 Nov. 2007)
    • IMDB page
    • Full video on Vimeo
    • Full video on PBS Duration: (25:13) Premiere Date: 01/06/2009 (?)
      • Ladakh, India is one of the most remote regions on earth. Beset with religious, political and cultural strife, it is also one of the most tumultuous. Enter the Druk White Lotus School, which intends to equip Ladakhi children for living in the modern world while simultaneously embracing Buddhist traditions.
  • Season 2, Episode 8 Greening the Federal Government (7 Dec. 2007)
    • IMDB page
    • Full video on Vimeo
    • Full video on PBS Duration: (25:13) Premiere Date: 01/13/2009
      • Government buildings are not historically associated with sustainability or exquisite design. But the U.S. General Services Administration's (GSA) Design Excellence program is changing that perception. The program commissioned Pritzker Prize-winning Architect Thom Mayne to design the San Francisco Federal Building, a structure that aims to be the prototype for tomorrow's workplace.
  • Season 2, Episode 9 Bogota: Building a Sustainable City (14 Dec. 2007)
    • IMDB page
    • Full video on Vimeo
    • Full video on PBS Duration: (25:13) Premiere Date: 03/07/2008
      • Enrique Penalosa, former mayor of Bogota, Colombia, transformed one of the most chaotic cities in the world into a shining model of urban planning. He reformed public transport, added greenways, built mega-libraries and created the longest stretch of bike-only lanes in the world, but along the way he met tremendous opposition from the very people he was attempting to help.
  • Season 2, Episode 10 Affordable Green Housing (21 Dec. 2007)
    • IMDB page
    • Full video on Vimeo
    • Full video on PBS Duration: (25:12) Premiere Date: 03/14/2008
      • New York City is known for its diversity, but that quality isn't always reflected in its public housing developments, which often ignore the social and cultural characteristics of the communities who live in them. This episode follows developer Jonathan Rose through Irvington, Harlem and the Bronx - communities where Rose is putting sustainability within reach of public housing residents.
  • Season 2, Episode 11 Adaptive Reuse in the Netherlands (28 Dec. 2007)
  • e2: Energy | Netflix - not watchable online on Netflix

2008 e2 season 3 episodes[edit | edit source]

  • Season 3, Episode 1 A Garden in Cairo (2 Sep. 2008)
    • IMDB page
    • Full video on Vimeo
    • Full video on PBS Duration: (25:28) Premiere Date: 07/11/2009
      • Cairo is one of the most densely populated in the world, with only one footprint of green space per person prior to 2005. His Highness the Aga Khan, the spiritual leader of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims, saw the need to relieve this congestion. The result is Al-Azhar Park: a 500-year-old dump-turned-"urban lung" that provides much-needed green space and a source of civic pride.
  • Season 3, Episode 2 The Village Architect (9 Sep. 2008)
  • Season 3, Episode 3 Melbourne Reborn (16 Sep. 2008)
  • Season 3, Episode 4 The Art and Science of Renzo Piano (23 Sep. 2008)
  • Season 3, Episode 5 New Orleans: The Water Line (30 Sep. 2008)
  • Season 3, Episode 6 Super Use (7 Oct. 2008)

2009 e2 season 4 episodes[edit | edit source]

  • Season 4, Episode 1 London: The Price of Traffic (25 Nov. 2008)
    • IMDB page
    • Full video on PBS Duration: (25:27) Premiere Date: 11/25/2008
      • London's congestion charge challenges the 20th-century notion that cities should be designed around cars and asks drivers to pay for access to public roads and parking spaces. Thanks to Deputy Mayor Nicky Gavron, this plan is the core of a sweeping push to transform London into a transit-efficient and pedestrian-friendly mega-city in time for the 2012 Olympic Games.
  • Season 4, Episode 2 Paris: Velo Liberte (2 Dec. 2008)
    • IMDB page
    • Full video on PBS Duration: (25:28) Premiere Date: 12/01/2008
      • Paris' ambitious public-private "Velib" bike initiative encourages residents to forgo cars for bikes and public transportation.
  • Season 4, Episode 3 Food Miles (9 Dec. 2008)
    • IMDB page
    • Full video on PBS Duration: (25:28) Premiere Date: 12/08/2008
      • In the 21st-century global food economy, by the time it's been grown, processed and distributed, most food has traveled an average of 1,500 miles before reaching the plate. AS renowned author Michael Pollan elaborates, the effects of this fossil fuel-driven system are detrimental to the environment, to health and to social well-being.
  • Season 4, Episode 4 Seoul: The Stream of Consciousness (16 Dec. 2008)
  • Season 4, Episode 5 Portland: A Sense of Place (6 Jan. 2009)
  • Season 4, Episode 6 Aviation: The Limited Sky (13 Jan. 2009)
  • Season 4 (?), Episode {?): Architecture 2030
    • Not listed on IMDB
    • http://www.pbs.org/e2/episodes/212_architecture_2030_trailer.html - this page says: design | architecture 2030 | season II | episode 6, which does not agree with IMDB's episode list.
    • Full video on PBS Duration: (25:13) Premiere Date: 02/10/2009
      • Buildings are responsible for almost half of all greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. Can a collaborative effort - government leaders, architects, regulatory agencies and building suppliers - avert a climate crisis through policy change and education? Architect-turned-activist Ed Mazria may have the answer.

Miscellaneous episode[edit | edit source]

09:25, 20 October 2012 (UTC): I don't see this one viewable online anywhere.

  • e2: Intervention Architecture DVD - page for ordering the DVD from PBS
  • e2: Intervention Architecture tracks the five projects that have won the prestigious Aga Khan Award for Architecture, which embrace the ethical and philosophical criteria that the awards represent. Within one hour, e2 traverses the globe visiting the diverse projects that are as far-ranging as a wetlands restoration project in Saudi Arabia, the revitalization of a French Colonial heritage site in Tunisia, all the way to a Bridge School in Xiashi, China, that reconnected a community and became the cultural center of the village. At the end of our travels we understand that we are all one world, facing the same challenges in a shared future with the belief that the future can be made better.

Global Warming: Rising Storm[edit | edit source]

Global Warming: The Signs and Science - 2005[edit | edit source]

  • IMDB page - Global Warming: The Signs and Science (2005) - TV Movie
  • wikipedia:Global Warming: The Signs and The Science
    • Global Warming: The Signs and The Science is a 2005 documentary film on global warming made by ETV, the PBS affiliate in South Carolina, and hosted by Alanis Morissette.
  • PBS Global Warming The Signs and the Science - 55:28 full episode
    • At 22:18 Alanis says "Recent studies warn that all of New York's subways and tunnels could flood." Which of course is what then happened during wikipedia:Hurricane Sandy, seven years later, and is likely to happen again with increasing frequency in the future, unless New York City invests massively in flood protection. Or if (as is unfortunately less likely to happen) humans in general and the richest billion humans in particular decide to get serious about eliminating their individual contributions to man-made climate forcing.
  • Netflix page - not viewable online at Netflix

Scientific American Frontiers[edit | edit source]

Hot Planet – Cold Comfort[edit | edit source]

Hydrogen Hopes[edit | edit source]

American Experience[edit | edit source]

A program about events and people in United States history. Some episodes relate to sustainability and the environment.

New York Underground - 1997[edit | edit source]

The Hurricane of '38 - 2001[edit | edit source]

Fatal Flood - 2001[edit | edit source]

Streamliners: America's Lost Trains - 2001[edit | edit source]

Grand Central - 2008[edit | edit source]

History of America's largest and busiest train station, wikipedia:Grand Central Terminal.

Hoover Dam - 2009[edit | edit source]

  • IMDB page - The American Experience: Season 11, Episode 3 - Hoover Dam (9 Nov. 2009)
  • Expired full episode on PBS - Hoover Dam - Duration: (52:25) - Episode Expires: Sat 10 Nov 2012

Surviving the Dust Bowl - 2009[edit | edit source]

  • IMDB page The American Experience: Season 10, Episode 13 Surviving the Dust Bowl (16 Nov. 2009) TV Episode - 234 min
  • Full episode on PBS - Duration: (52:31) - Premiere Date: 11/15/2009 - Episode Expires: Thu 15 Nov 2012
    • "The story of the determined people who clung to their homes and way of life, enduring drought, dust, disease and even death for nearly a decade."
  • Surviving the Dust Bowl on Netflix - not viewable online
  • Surviving The Dust Bowl - 50:39
  • Descriptive page at PBS
    • The episode briefly mentions the work of Hugh Hammond Bennett which led to what is now the Natural Resources Conservation Service (formerly known as the Soil Conservation Service (SCS)). This is one of the earliest examples of using a scientific approach to address a large-scale man-made environmental disaster.
    • The episode focuses mostly on the human impact of the Dust Bowl, and less on the soil conservation techniques that have prevented repeats in subsequent droughts.

Earth Days - 2010[edit | edit source]

  • IMDB page - The American Experience: Season 22, Episode 5 - Earth Days (19 Apr. 2010)
  • Full episode on PBS - American Experience - Earth Days - Duration: (1:53:11) - Premiere Date: 04/19/2010 - Episode Expires: Thu 18 Apr 2013

Panama Canal - 2011[edit | edit source]

  • IMDB page - The American Experience: Season 23, Episode 4 - Panama Canal (24 Jan. 2011)
  • Full episode on PBS - American Experience - The Panama Canal - Duration: (1:22:11) - Premiere Date: 04/03/2012 - Episode Expires: Fri 24 Jan 2014

The Greely Expedition - 2011[edit | edit source]

  • IMDB page - The American Experience: Season 23, Episode 5 - The Greely Expedition (31 Jan. 2011)
  • Full episode on PBS - American Experience - The Greely Expedition - Duration: (52:11) - Premiere Date: 01/30/2011 - Episode Expires: Fri 31 Jan 2014

Grand Coulee Dam - 2012[edit | edit source]

  • IMDB page - The American Experience: Season 24, Episode 6 - Grand Coulee Dam (3 Apr. 2012)
  • Full episode on PBS - American Experience - Grand Coulee Dam - Duration: (1:22:10) - Premiere Date: 04/03/2012 - Episode Expires: Wed 01 Apr 2015

The Dust Bowl[edit | edit source]

  • wikipedia:The Dust Bowl (film) - The two-part miniseries recounts the impact of the Dust Bowl on the U.S. during the Great Depression. Premieres November 18 and 19, 2012, 8:00–10:00 p.m. ET on PBS
  • IMDB page
  • Preview video Duration: (1:43) - Premiere Date: 11/18/2012 - Episode Expires: Never
    • "The Dust Bowl chronicles the worst man-made ecological disaster in American history, in which the frenzied wheat boom of the Great Plow-Up, followed by a decade-long drought during the 1930s nearly swept away the breadbasket of the nation.."
  • Descriptive page at PBS

The PBS wikipedia:American Experience series had an episode about the dust bowl earlier:

  • IMDB page The American Experience: Season 10, Episode 13 Surviving the Dust Bowl (16 Nov. 2009) TV Episode - 234 min
  • Full episode on PBS - Duration: (52:31) - Premiere Date: 11/15/2009 - Episode Expires: Thu 15 Nov 2012
    • "The story of the determined people who clung to their homes and way of life, enduring drought, dust, disease and even death for nearly a decade."
  • Surviving the Dust Bowl on Netflix - not viewable online
  • Surviving The Dust Bowl - 50:39
  • Descriptive page at PBS
    • The episode briefly mentions the work of Hugh Hammond Bennett which led to what is now the Natural Resources Conservation Service (formerly known as the Soil Conservation Service (SCS)). This is one of the earliest examples of using a scientific approach to addressing a large-scale man-made environmental disaster.
    • The episode focuses mostly on the human impact of the Dust Bowl, and less on the soil conservation techniques that have prevented repeats in subsequent droughts.

The Dust Bowl era of the 1930s has some parallels with recent and ongoing events in the United States:

Science Channel[edit | edit source]

Ecotech[edit | edit source]

The Science Channel has a series called Ecotech or Eco-tech. Wikipedia does not have an article on it that I can see.

Nothing by this name currently appears on the Science Channel shows page. IMDB says it was a five-part series that aired in 2007.

YouTube has a playlist with some clips from the Eco-Tech series:

How Do They Do It?[edit | edit source]

Powering the Future[edit | edit source]

Discovery Channel broadcast this four-part series in July 2010. The Science Channel and then Planet Green rebroadcast it.[8]

National Geographic[edit | edit source]

Megastructures[edit | edit source]

Channel Tunnel - 2004[edit | edit source]

This episode relates to climate change in that the wikipedia:Channel Tunnel provides the most readily zero-carbon rapid transportation link between the UK and the European mainland. Electric trains ply the tunnel, whereas the alternative transport links include ferries and airplanes that burn liquid fuels from petroleum. The electricity supply is not zero-carbon yet, but electricity can be made zero-carbon much more readily at large scale than liquid fuels can be. The major renewable energy sources such as wind and solar generally produce electricity, whereas biofuels are the only significant form of renewable liquid fuels and they have problems of scale and other environmental impacts at the moment.

Itaipu Dam - 2004[edit | edit source]

While hydroelectric dams can produce many social and environmental impacts, they are nonetheless important sources of dispatchable renewable electricity which is vital for load balancing on electric grids that have large amounts of non-dispatchable wind and solar power.

North Sea Wall - 2005[edit | edit source]

The massive engineering works built by the Dutch to hold back the sea illustrate what many coastal cities will need as sea levels rise due to man-made climate forcing.

Berlin Train Terminal - 2005[edit | edit source]

Rail travel is the most straightforward type of motorized travel to make zero carbon, since trains can run on electricity. Germany's train system is among the world's best.

Oil Sands Mine - 2005[edit | edit source]

Extracting and burning oil sands will greatly contribute to climate change and possibly doom humanity's prospects for long-term thriving on planet Earth. Thus it is interesting to see the inner workings of the industry that will help doom us.

Inside Grand Central - 2005[edit | edit source]

Garbage Mountain - 2006[edit | edit source]

Describes the wikipedia:Puente Hills Landfill, including trash separation, recycling, green waste composting, and landfill gas recovery.

Hoover Dam - 2006[edit | edit source]

Panama Canal Unlocked - 2006[edit | edit source]

America's Biggest Dig - 2006[edit | edit source]

Science of Concrete - 2006[edit | edit source]

Cement production accounts for some 5% of global man-made carbon dioxide emissions. It is also one of the most important building materials.

South Pole Station - 2007[edit | edit source]

Climate change is occurring faster at the poles than anywhere else on Earth. Polar exploration is therefore a vital part of understanding what humans are doing to planet Earth.

Man Made Sun - 2008[edit | edit source]

Solar energy.

World's Biggest Shredder - 2008[edit | edit source]

Metal recycling.

Building Green Beijing - 2008[edit | edit source]

Greenwashing the Olympic Games.

Icelandic Super Dam[edit | edit source]

Extreme Railway[edit | edit source]

Future Trains[edit | edit source]

Train Wreck - 2009[edit | edit source]

An episode about recycling old locomotives.

Electric Ocean - 2009[edit | edit source]

Renewable energy from the oceans.

UK Super Train - 2010[edit | edit source]

Shows the construction of the wikipedia:High Speed 1 rail line in the UK.

Built From Disaster - Trains[edit | edit source]

  • 2009: Megastructures: Built From Disaster - Trains

Mega Breakdown[edit | edit source]

This may be a different National Geographic series. I can't easily tell.

MegaStructures holding pen[edit | edit source]

Seconds From Disaster[edit | edit source]

Planet Mechanics[edit | edit source]

Aftermath (TV series)[edit | edit source]

  • wikipedia:Aftermath (TV series) - a series of episodes that looks at what would happen if various conditions on Earth suddenly changed. These episodes relate to environmental issues to varying degrees.

World Without Oil[edit | edit source]

Aftermath: Population Zero[edit | edit source]

Aftermath: When the Earth Stops Spinning[edit | edit source]

Red Giant[edit | edit source]

Population Overload[edit | edit source]

Strange Days on Planet Earth[edit | edit source]

I don't see this episode online anywhere:

Collapse of Earth?[edit | edit source]

Year of the Storm[edit | edit source]

The Human Footprint[edit | edit source]

Six Degrees Could Change the World (2008)[edit | edit source]

Richard Hammond's Engineering Connections[edit | edit source]

Bullet Train (2011)[edit | edit source]

Richard Hammond explains how high-speed trains work. Episode focuses on Japan's Shinkansen.

Big, Bigger, Biggest[edit | edit source]

A series that covers examples of extremes in engineering and architecture. While most of the series shows little or no awareness of sustainability issues, a few episodes cover technologies that can reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Dam (2009)[edit | edit source]

The world's largest hydroelectric power station, China's wikipedia:Three Gorges Dam.

Canal (2011)[edit | edit source]

The Panama Canal expansion.

Underground: Tunnel Men - London's Underground (2011)[edit | edit source]

Train: World's Fastest Train (2011)[edit | edit source]

The fastest wheeled train, the SNCF AGV

Superstorm New York: What Really Happened (2012)[edit | edit source]

Seconds from Disaster[edit | edit source]

Crash Science[edit | edit source]

Crash Science: Trains[edit | edit source]

Britain's Greatest Machines with Chris Barrie[edit | edit source]

Trains: The Steam Pioneers - 2010[edit | edit source]

Cable News Network[edit | edit source]

Planet in Peril - 2007[edit | edit source]

The Cold War[edit | edit source]

Soldiers of God - 1998[edit | edit source]

CNN made a documentary about the Soviet-Afghan war.

Another copy, in five parts:

British Broadcasting Corporation[edit | edit source]

Future Earth - 2008[edit | edit source]

People, places, and things featured:

Hot Planet - 2009[edit | edit source]

BBC Two[edit | edit source]

The following list from the BBC Two site gives the titles of programs I can then use as search keywords on YouTube, to find uploaded copies to watch.

Horizon[edit | edit source]

Horizon is a long-running and current documentary program of the BBC covering science and philosophy.

The Lost World of Lake Vostok - 2000[edit | edit source]

Snowball Earth - 2001[edit | edit source]

How Many People Can Live on Planet Earth? - 2009[edit | edit source]

Death of the Oceans - 2010[edit | edit source]

Predators in your Back Yard - 2011[edit | edit source]

Fukushima: Is Nuclear Power Safe? - 2011[edit | edit source]

Global Weirding - 2012[edit | edit source]

  • IMDB page - Season 48, Episode 12 - Global Weirding (27 Mar. 2012) - TV Episode - 50 min
  • Global Weirding - Episode 12 of 15, 2011-2012 - Something weird seems to be happening to our weather - it appears to be getting more extreme.
  • BBC Horizon - Global Weirding (2012) (dead link)
    • The video is OK, but the presentation seems to be somewhat tentative, as if the climate change deniers have made the presenters more reluctant to come out and say humans are changing the climate.

Japan Earthquake - 2011[edit | edit source]

Earth: The Climate Wars[edit | edit source]

Earth: The Power of the Planet[edit | edit source]

More with Iain Stewart.

How Earth Made Us[edit | edit source]

More awesomeness with Iain Stewart.

How to Grow a Planet[edit | edit source]

More geology with Iain Stewart.

Parts two and three do not appear to be on YouTube.

    • YouTube: BBC How To Grow A Planet - The Power of Flowers
    • YouTube: BBC How To Grow A Planet - The Challenger

Men of Rock[edit | edit source]

Another Iain Stewart show. As of 04:04, 23 April 2012 (UTC) none of the three episodes are on YouTube in full, only some short clips.

Surviving Progress[edit | edit source]

Climate Chaos series - 2006[edit | edit source]

In 2006, the BBC created several programs about climate change, grouping them into its Climate Chaos series.[11] The BBC no longer seems to have its main page about this series online, but someone seems to have kept a copy.[12] Most of the programs in this series are probably not viewable online now.

Meltdown: A Global Warming Journey - 2006[edit | edit source]

08:22, 31 October 2012 (UTC): this video does not appear to be online at Netflix.

The documentary mentions:

Are We Changing Planet Earth? - 2006[edit | edit source]

Can We Save Planet Earth? - 2006[edit | edit source]

Five Disasters Waiting To Happen - 2006[edit | edit source]

Climate Chaos: Bush's Climate of Fear - 2006[edit | edit source]

  • IMDB page - Climate Chaos: Bush's Climate of Fear (4 Jun. 2006) TV Episode - 40 min - Documentary

An episode of Panorama, this covered efforts by the Bush administration to suppress unwelcome findings of climate scientists.[13]

Panorama[edit | edit source]

Keeping Britain Dry - 2007[edit | edit source]

An episode about the increasing flood risk in Britain.[14]

I cannot find this episode online. BBC's own video site is not viewable outside the UK.

Panorama holding pen[edit | edit source]

A place to throw links to Panorama episodes that show promise.

Documentary films about environmental issues[edit | edit source]

These are documentary films and videos not associated with a particular broadcaster such as PBS, Discovery, BBC, etc. These include films by studios for theatrical release, and films by local TV stations or advocacy groups.

America's most polluted river[edit | edit source]

Entomophagy[edit | edit source]

I'm not sure I'm ready for this.

The 11th Hour - 2007[edit | edit source]

Blue Gold: World Water Wars[edit | edit source]

I disagree with the film's premise that future wars will be fought over water "like wars are fought over oil today". There might be some regional scraps over water, but water is not a portable concentrated source of wealth. Water cannot be shipped long distances very effectively. It has to be used close to where it occurs naturally. For water to be useful it has to be very very cheap. Fighting wars over water would be too expensive. Water wars would also be un-winnable, since if you wanted to steal someone's water you would pretty much have to obliterate them from the whole watershed. There is no international trade in water like there is in oil. Every major landmass has to be nearly 100% self-sufficient in water, so you aren't going to have the US invading Africa for water. There could be some local conflicts, of course, and these will be important to the people involved in them. But I don't see it igniting the kinds of wars we've had over oil. Instead I think it will mostly be about the rich pricing the poor out of getting any.

Flow: For Love of Water[edit | edit source]

Ocean acidification[edit | edit source]

  • Acid test for corals - AIMS scientist Dr Katharina Fabricius has led two research expeditions to study natural carbon dioxide seeps in Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea - the only presently known cool, carbon dioxide seep site in tropical waters containing coral reef ecosystems. The study has given scientists unprecedented insights into what coral reefs would look like if greenhouse gas emissions and resulting ocean acidification continues to increase at present rates.

The Future of Food[edit | edit source]

Shipbreakers[edit | edit source]

A Sea Change (2009)[edit | edit source]

  • IMDB page
  • A Sea Change - full video on Vimeo
  • A Sea Change on Netflix - not viewable online
    • "Award-winning filmmaker Barbara Ettinger puts a human face on the realities of global warming and ocean acidification in this eye-opening document of one man's quest to learn more about his generation's environmental legacy. Although he's an environmentalist, native Norwegian Sven Huseby is a grandfather, too. And he's increasingly concerned about the kind of world his 5-year-old grandson, Elias, will inherit."
  • Facebook group

The Antarctica Challenge: A Global Warning[edit | edit source]

Carbon Nation[edit | edit source]

Chasing Ice[edit | edit source]

  • Netflix page - not viewable online
  • IMDB page Chasing Ice (2012) 76 min - Documentary | Biography
    • 'National Geographic' photographer James Balog was once a skeptic about climate change. But through his Extreme Ice Survey, he discovers undeniable evidence of our changing planet. In 'Chasing Ice,' we follow Balog across the Arctic as he deploys revolutionary time-lapse cameras designed for one purpose: to capture a multi-year record of the world's changing glaciers. Balog's hauntingly beautiful videos compress years into seconds and capture ancient mountains of ice in motion as they disappear at a breathtaking rate. Traveling with a young team of adventurers by helicopter, canoe and dog sled across three continents, Balog risks his career and his well-being in pursuit of the biggest story in human history. As the debate polarizes America and the intensity of natural disasters ramp up around the world, 'Chasing Ice' depicts a heroic photojournalist on a mission to gather evidence and deliver hope to our carbon-powered planet.
  • Facebook page

21:57, 20 October 2012 (UTC): I can't find the film viewable online anywhere yet.

Waterlife[edit | edit source]

  • Netflix page - not viewable online
  • IMDB page Waterlife (2009) 109 min - Documentary
    • A look at the natural beauty and environmental crisis surrounding the Great Lakes.
  • Official site (?)
    • WATERLIFE follows the epic cascade of the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean. From the icy cliffs of Lake Superior to the ornate fountains of Chicago to the sewers of Windsor, this feature-length documentary tells the story of the last huge supply (20 per cent) of fresh water on Earth.
    • The source of drinking water, fish and emotional sustenance for 35 million people, the Great Lakes are under assault by toxins, sewage, invasive species, dropping water levels and profound apathy. Some scientists believe the lakes are on the verge of ecological collapse.
    • Filled with fascinating characters and stunning imagery, WATERLIFE is an epic cinematic poem about the beauty of water and the dangers of taking it for granted.
    • The film is narrated by The Tragically Hip’s Gord Downie and features music by Sam Roberts, Sufjan Stevens, Sigur Ros, Robbie Robertson and Brian Eno.
  • Another site about the film that does not load for me.
  • Waterlife - Official Trailer
  • Waterlife - a five minute excerpt.

22:32, 20 October 2012 (UTC): I can't find the film viewable online anywhere yet.

Trashed[edit | edit source]

Garbage Warrior[edit | edit source]

  • IMDB page Garbage Warrior (2007) - 86 min - Documentary
    • Garbage Warrior is a feature-length documentary film telling the epic story of maverick US architect Michael Reynolds and his fight to introduce radically sustainable housing. An extraordinary tale of triumph over bureaucracy, Garbage Warrior is above all an intimate portrait of an extraordinary individual and his dream of changing the world.
  • Netflix page - not viewable online
  • Garbage Warrior (Full Length Documentary)

Manufactured Landscapes[edit | edit source]

Transforming Energy[edit | edit source]

This is another documentary about renewable energy. I can't find it on Netflix nor on IMDB. It features some familiar talking heads.[16] It came out in 2006.

Sprawling From Grace: The Consequences of Suburbanization[edit | edit source]

The Electric Revolution[edit | edit source]

The film is by Renault S.A.S. I cannot find any information about the film on IMDB or Netflix. But Renault appears to have uploaded a copy to YouTube. The film covers the history of the electric automobile, from the early 1900s to the modern day. The last part of the film is an infomercial about the wikipedia:Renault Z.E. electric car lineup, and demonstrates the wikipedia:Better Place battery-swap technology allowing unlimited-range electric driving (provided swap stations exist on the desired route).

The Oil Factor: Behind the War on Terror - 2005[edit | edit source]

Blood and Oil - 2008[edit | edit source]

See also[edit | edit source]

Notes and references[edit | edit source]

  1. Gifford, Robert (2008). "Psychology’s essential role in alleviating the impacts of climate change" (PDF). Canadian Psychology 49 (4): 273-280. doi:10.1037/a0013234. "Climate change is occurring: where is psychology? The conventional wisdom is that amelioration of the impacts of climate change is a matter for earth and ocean science, economics, technology, and policy-making. This article presents the basis for psychological science as a key part of the solution to the problem and describes the challenges to this from both within psychology and from other points of view. Minimising the personal and environmental damage caused by climate change necessarily is a multidisciplinary task, but one to which psychology not only should, but must contribute more than it has so far.".
  2. 2.0 2.1 Saner, Emine (2008-11-13). "The woman with a tiny carbon footprint". The Guardian. "Forget planes, trains or automobiles - if Joan Pick wants to go anywhere, she runs. And she eats nothing but raw food. Is her lifestyle extreme or the future we must all face up to? Emine Saner meets her"
  3. Genzlinger, Neil (2012-11-16). "Looking Back at the Storm Just Passed". New York Times. "People whose homes were damaged or destroyed in Hurricane Sandy are still picking through the debris, but at least three television outlets have already assembled documentarylike programs claiming to provide perspective on the storm."
  4. "PBS Presents NOVA’s “Inside the Megastorm” and Ken Burns’s THE DUST BOWL For An Extreme Weather Night of Television". PBS. 2012-11-12. "The PBS science series NOVA, produced by WGBH, announced today plans to present "Inside the Megastorm," an original one-hour documentary that takes viewers moment by moment through Hurricane Sandy. The film premieres on Sunday, November 18 at 7:00 p.m. ET on PBS (check local listings) and will lead-in to the new Ken Burns documentary series, THE DUST BOWL to form an Extreme Weather themed television-programming block that evening on PBS."
  5. "Inside the Megastorm". PBS. "Watch as hurricane Sandy unfolds, and explore what made it so much more devastating than other hurricanes. Aired November 21, 2012 on PBS"
  6. Not that there is anything wrong with lentils, of course. They are an excellent source of protein, can be prepared in tasty ways, and are among the least environmentally destructive foods a human can eat.
  7. "Is Sandy a 'Cassandra'? How Cities Should Prepare for Future Natural Disasters". 2012-10-31. "Extreme storms of recent history have made local governments take notice both of their preparedness and the likelihood that climate change is making such disastrous events more and more common. Joseph Romm of Center for American Progress and American Enterprise Institute's Kenneth Green share their perspectives with Ray Suarez."
  8. "Dr. Charles Hall Talks Oil on The Discovery Channel". State University of New York - College of Environmental Science and Forestry. 2010-09-02. "The Discovery Channel aired a four-part series, Powering the Future, to examine where our energy comes from and how we are striving to create a clean, limitless, secure supply to replace fossil fuels. Dr. Charles Hall was part of the program including some research he and his students were doing in Puerto Rico. The series was originally broadcast in July, 2010 on the Discovery Channel, repeated on the Science Channel and again on Planet Green."
  9. "Superstorm New York: What Really Happened". Media Update. 2012-11-14. "National Geographic Channel announced today the premiere of an in-depth documentary detailing Hurricane Sandy and its mammoth and merciless wake, which caused more than 110 fatalities in the U.S., and paralysed life for millions of people in more than a half-dozen states."
  10. Donnelly, Jeffrey P.; et al. (2001). "700 yr Sedimentary Record of Intense Hurricane Landfalls in Southern New England". Geological Society of America Bulletin 113 (6): 714–727. doi:10.1130/0016-7606(2001)113<0714:YSROIH>2.0.CO;2.
  11. "BBC invites viewers to predict the UK's future climate". 2006-02-14. "The BBC is to screen a major season of programmes on the science behind and issues surrounding the hottest topic of the day - climate change."
  12. "Climate Chaos - BBC documentary series". "David Attenborough's personal journey to discover the state of the planet leads a fortnight of programmes on climate change from the BBC."
  13. "Climate chaos: Bush's climate of fear". 2006-06-01. "A US government whistleblower tells Panorama how scientific reports about global warming have been systematically changed and suppressed."
  14. "Keeping Britain Dry". 2007-08-03. "This early summer has been the wettest in England and Wales since records began more than 240 years ago."
  15. Presumably YouTube will eventually clear out all its copyright violation uploads and convert them all into pay per view movies like this.
  16. Hunter Lovins, William McDonough, Jeremy Rifkin and James Howard Kuntsler.

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